Parents divided over change to Fort Worth Montessori school’s admissions criteria
Amy Randall-Baker can offer unique perspective on Daggett Montessori School.
Her daughter, a sixth-grader, attends the Fort Worth school district’s school of choice.
Randall-Baker is a former Daggett employee who lives in the surrounding neighborhood.
So she can sympathize with the Ryan Place and Fairmount families who were left shocked and outraged by Fort Worth school board’s unanimous vote last month to strike the neighborhood preference for Daggett Montessori.
Many came to the neighborhood and its higher property taxes assuming their children would attend the school, and some are left facing the possibility of sending kids to other elementary and middle schools that don’t rate as highly as the Montessori.
But Randall-Baker also remembers that the neighborhood preference was never guaranteed and someday was likely to be eliminated.
Now that it has been, she is one of many who support the school board’s decision to return equity to Daggett Montessori, which doesn’t have the diverse school population that the district envisions for schools of choice.
“It’s something that has been on our radar for a long time that we wanted to change,” Randall-Baker said. “We want to continue to keep it diversified. It’s not meant to be a neighborhood school. The neighborhood schools are not as popular because of Daggett Montessori being a neighborhood school.”
Como Montessori’s neighborhood preference was also repealed.
Students who wish to enroll in schools of choice must apply via a lottery system. Neighborhood preference had been the first consideration in granting an applicant’s request.
Siblings of students enrolled at Daggett or Como continue to receive preference, as do employees of the Fort Worth school district.
The board did not comment on its decision to strike the neighborhood preference through the April 28 consent agenda, and the district said it doesn’t speak on behalf of the board. The Ryan Place Improvement Association declined comment.
Message boards, though, were filled with comments. Those against the board’s decision say they were blindsided, and what they believe is sleight of hand by the board is atop their list of grievances.
Some also believe paying high property taxes should ensure a preference.
District spokesman Clint Bond said that students were still required to apply via the lottery prior to the board’s decision and that a preference is not a guarantee of admission.
“Daggett Montessori was not automatically the zone’s campus for the Fairmount/Ryan Place community,” Bond said. “Parents who are interested in Daggett Montessori still have to apply through our School of Choice process to gain admittance.”
Marsha Moore, who lives a block away from Daggett Montessori and is also in favor of the board’s decision, believes the unknown has parents fretting.
“It’s scary to think your child is not going to get the best education possible,” said Moore, whose children attended another school of choice, Alice Carlson Applied Learning Center. “The root of all of it is fear. I understand that people are irritated, but at the same time, you have to tease out the fear of things you have for your children and what’s best for all children.”
The school board is scheduled to meet again Tuesday night, and there is no mention of revisiting the April 28 decision on the agenda.
Though it wasn’t specifically detailed, the issue striking the Daggett neighborhood preference was recommended March 31 under the heading of board revisions to policy.
Randall-Baker said that the Montessori approached the board many times about the equity issue during her time as the school’s family communication’s liaison.
The neighborhoods had become gentrified, and the Montessori was no longer diverse. She said she warned perspective families that the preference zone wasn’t guaranteed and that it was under review.
“Things were changing,” Randall-Baker said. “These program of choice schools should remain open to the entire district, not just be a neighborhood school. So, it just continued on and continued on, and was something that was brought to the board time and time again.
“I don’t understand the timing. I don’t understand why they put it on the docket for this particular meeting, but it didn’t surprise me because it was something that has been talked about.”
For residents like Randall-Baker and Moore, the board made the correct decision in striking the Ryan Place/Fairmount neighborhood preference.
“It needs to be equitable,” Morgan said. “Everyone needs a chance to get into those schools.”
